Review: 'Monsters University'? Go to the bottom of the class

The animation is snappy in Pixar's prequel to 'Monsters, Inc.,' but the whole thing is lacking a freshness, from the soundtrack to the college pranks.

The quality of Pixars 10 films has never really been a matter of debate. Now at a film-per-year pace, Pixar has prioritized class over quantity, and a new film bearing the studio's brand is treated as an event.

Though Disney has only owned Pixar outright since 2006, the two had earlier struck a distribution agreement, and first released "Toy Story" in 1995. Since the delivery of that groundbreaking box office smash, the computer animation powerhouse has released nine additional films, while Disney has produced more than 15 animated films on its own.

With successes such as " Wall-E," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," which introduced filmgoers to unlikely heroes and immersive, unpredictable worlds, Pixar has so influenced the state of animated films that Pixar principals Ed Catmull and John Lassetter now oversee Disney's animation empire.

Since the purchase of Pixar, Disney continues to release animated films under its own banner, although a Pixar influence, it can be argued, is increasingly visible. It was nearly impossible to find a review of 2008's  Bolt without critics comparing it to the work of Pixar, with many noting that it was good, but not quite on a Pixar level. Is that a bit unfair? Its hard to meet expectations when a film is being compared to a once-a-year occurrence.

Granted, Disney has released some flicks were all better off forgetting ("Dinosaur"), but also some that wed be wise to revisit ("Treasure Planet") and some that are already considered classics ("Lilo and Stitch"). So lets take a closer look at what Disney has accomplished when working outside the Pixar umbrella and see how it ranks in the Pixar oeuvre.

"Monsters University" is not so much substandard. It just isn't the Ivy League. Or close to what we've come to expect from any animated film flying John Lasseter's flag. Seven years into his rule as mayor of Disney's toon town, one has to wonder, given the recent slippage, whether the artistic leader who once prided originality above all has gone suit-and-tie on us. Did he lose that outsider's edge after his enterprising upstart was gobbled by Walt's behemoth?

Whatever the reasons, "Monsters University," the prequel to the mild-mannered "Monsters, Inc.," is mostly memorable for being fine but forgettable. The 12-year span between the two suggests trepidation.

Directed by Dan Scanlon, "MU's" primary colors run true-blue enough. The animation is snappy in the way it handles an extremely eclectic-looking bunch of monsters. The 3-D effects are nifty but, as with so much about "MU," not necessary.

There are new monsters such as Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) who are terribly intriguing. That British accent is so handy when the dialogue calls for disdain. The dean's bad attitude suits her buggy body, the millipede-like legs clicking ominously to signal her approach.

Many of the favorite fear factors are back, starting with that grinning, green one-eyed charmer, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), and his main man, the towering, shaggy, blue Sulley (John Goodman). Mike, with the help of Sulley's massive monster shoulders, carried the first film, and the duo are responsible for much of what works in this one.

As voices go, Goodman and Crystal are a swell match. One's deep, rumbling good-time guy plays nicely off the other's slightly squeaky overachiever. In fact, the A-type Mike is the most appealing character Crystal has had in a while.

All in all, it's a pretty cool crowd they are hanging with. One that features Steve Buscemi, though his bug-eyed, purple-pleasing Randy has some visibility issues. Suffice it to say that there are quirks aplenty in this motley new crew.

But the freshness of the first idea — a world powered by the screams of children and the monsters responsible for keeping the lights on — has gone stale in the storytelling by screenwriters Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird and Scanlon.

The central conceit of the sequel turns back the hands of time by about 10 years. Mike and Sulley, the working guys and best friends punching the clock in "Monsters, Inc.," are about to meet for the first time. Freshmen at MU, both are out to prove they can be the scariest.